1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to foot actuated toilet seat raising and lowering devices.
2. Description of Prior Art
There have been numerous attempts in the prior art to produce a commercially viable and consumer acceptable toilet seat lifting and/or lowering device. Many are complex mechanisms which would be cost prohibitive to produce. Some require a user to manually raise a toilet seat before a device is activated to return seat to its horizontal position. Thus far, none appear to have obtained acceptance and use in the marketplace.
This lack of acceptance is believed to be contingent upon several factors: 1)they are too complex, thusly cost prohibitive, to be produced commercially, 2) they are too cumbersome to be easily maintained and 3) they are too complicated and/or time consumptive to be feasibly marketable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,866 to Hibbs, Nov. 12, 1985, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,814 to Denys, Dec. 6, 1994, disclose two separate devices whereby toilet seat has to be manually raised, thereby hindering sanitary benefits. U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,743 to Alfonso, Feb. 6, 1996, employs multiple levers and foot pedals. Seat lowering is obtained through upward foot pressure in a stirrup receptacle. This arrangement could possibly affect user's balance. U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,708 to Zamoyski, Aug. 24, 1993, relies on a resilient material attached to foot pedal to aid in preventing slamming. The hardware employed to allow for toilet seat height variances would detract from salability. U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,371 to Wilson, Aug. 1, 1978, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,097 to Zimmerman, Jun. 3, 1986, are too complex to be marketed commercially.
It is a belief that the market would accept a device that provides for smooth operation, is aesthetically pleasing and that would be affordable, easily installed and maintained, convenient to use and promoting sanitary benefits.